Nine Seals for a Fox
by M K Stern
Summary: What if the Fourth Hokage chose for various reasons not to seal up the fox in just Naruto, but to split it and it's chakra amongst the entire rookie nine?


**Hello all. This is the author speaking. Anyone know a good beta reader, preferably one who's very familiar with the Naruto verse? I really think I need one for this, since I have some very large ambitionsfor this story.**

**Now that's that's out of the way, welcome one and all. I really hope you end up enjoying this story that has been bouncing around in my head for so long.**

**Nine Seals for a Fox**

**Chapter 1:**

_Nine figures stood in a circle in the dark stone room. On the table in front of them were nine pillows upon which lay nine sleeping babies. Nine candles burned in the darkness, nine heads were bowed in sorrow and determination._

_One of the nine was different from the rest. Any observer to this silent ceremony would draw back in fear, for this man was burning with terrible power. Fire and darkness and rage and malevolence consumed this man, radiating out from him like deadly rays of sunlight. He kept it contained, but just barely and anyone could see what that "just barely" was costing him. This man was dying from the fires that consumed him and whipped outwards from his back in nine streams the lashed like the tails of wild animals._

_This man raised his hands and the others seemed to take it as a signal. All raised their heads and reached out to touch the child in front of them on the stomach. The man of flames nodded and his hands flashed in a complicated series of seals. He held out his hands as he finished, as if pleading for some deity to come down and answer his prayers._

_And death answered the call…_

_Nine babies lay on nine pillows upon the table. They ranged in age from almost one to only weeks old. Most had dark hair approaching black, a typical color for the area, but there was one almost red-head, two blonds, and even, against all probability, a girl whose hair was a very bright pink color. Their eyes ranged from brown to blue to black to green and even a purplish white. The only thing they all had in common was the seal on their bellies and the dead body slumped at their feet._

...

The stony council room was lit almost solely be candles, the fading sunlight through the windows providing no more than dusky orange squares high on the walls. The smoke stung the eyes of all gathered around the table, but it provided no more tears than those already present on the faces of all the weary adults.

So much loss of life…

Some of the adults around the table were obviously relatives of the children. A man with the same dark hair white pupil-less eyes as one girl looked down at her sadly and thoughtfully. In his arms he held another child, this one only a year old also with white eyes. A woman with odd red facial markings stood over another who was obviously her son. Her five-year-old daughter held her hand while at the same time gripping the fur of a small puppy in the other. A black haired man and boy with equally black eyes stood far in the corner, as if to get as far away from the matching child as possible. The boy was crying.

At the head of the table an old man sat, his hands in front of his face in a brooding attitude. He took in the actions of all before him, giving no indication of his thoughts. He saw the way no one touched the babies, as if they were afraid they might snap at them. He saw who longed to do so anyways and who looked upon them with hatred. He saw fear and sorrow… so much sorrow…

He cleared his throat and the room fell silent. Tears were swallowed as every adult gave their attention to him.

"Well," he said softly. "What is to be done with them?"

...

Every year Sarutobi Hiruzen came to the academy to observe and welcome the new crop of children who would eventually grow to be the protectors and driving force of his village. Normally he looked forward to the duty, his heart filled with hope and pride at the new generation.

This year was different. _They_ were entering the academy.

To give the Sandaime Hokage credit, he had tried his best to make sure that the nine children whose fate had been so dramatically changed seven years ago had grown up normal. He had tried to make them heroes as his successor/predecessor wished, tried to make the village see that the children were not the beast, but it had been a hopeless battle. The village needed a scapegoat, or nine, and thus from the moment the seals were placed on them they were labeled as monsters. The sacrifice that had been required to place the seals only confirmed this view, making them killers before they could even walk.

As this became apparent within the first year following the attack of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, he tried a different tactic. The presence within the children became a village secret and it was punishable by death to reveal it to anyone who did not already know. The Hokage hoped that this would force the children, at least, to accept the nine, but he in his heart of hearts he knew that this to was a losing battle. Children's views are so often shaped by those of their parents.

As the first of the nine arrived his fears proved justified. As a tall man with very light brown hair and glasses escorted a bouncing pink haired child to the registration table, normal conversation stopped and whispers began. Parents leaned down, glaring at the pair, and murmured something that caused their children to glare in turn. The pink haired girl wilted as she noticed this, slowly stopping her bouncing gait and retreating shyly and sadly to behind her fathers' back.

At least they would have each other, he thought, and shuddered in horror at what would have happened if the Yondaime Hokage's original plan had been carried out. One child, bearing all of that hatred… He couldn't comprehend the disaster.

"Haruno Sakura," the tall man said to the shinobi who was overseeing registration. The shinobi, who up until this point had barely even looked at the children he was processing suddenly looked up with an alarmed start. He stared in shock briefly at the tall man, then slowly turned his gaze to the pink-haired girl. His eyes grew hard as he did so. He opened his mouth as if to speak…

"Is there a problem?" Sarutobi asked quietly from behind him. The shinobi jumped again, not having noticed the old man sneaking up on him. Sarutobi suppressed as smiled at this. There was a reason he was Hokage after all.

"Hokage-sama!" the shinobi looked embarrassed. "I was just… I wasn't certain…" He stuttered under the calm gaze of his leader.

"Did you not hear the name of the student correctly?" Sarutobi asked.

"No Hokage-sama, I just…" The shinobi was sweating in obvious fright.

"Then why are you not registering her?" This last bit was said calmly, as if the Hokage was asking something as simple and innocent as the color of the sky. His eyes were calm as well, and there was a faint smile at his lips. It would seem as if he was a kindly interfering old man to anyone who just looked at the picture.

Except this was the Hokage asking. This was the leader of the village and the strongest shinobi around. His word was law and he had the strength to enforce it.

The young shinobi paper-pusher backed down instantly. Hurried he began asking for all of the relevant information as he scribbled down the pink haired girls name. The girl lifted her head a bit from where she had been quailing in uncertainty beside her dad. Green eyes met Saratobi's and he gave her a kindly smile.

To his delight, she smiled back. It was a small thing, still nervous, but it showed that she was not beaten yet. He nodded his head at her, and her smile became wider. As her father finished and lead her away towards where the other new students were gathering, she kept turning back to see if he was still smiling at her, still accepting her. With every affirmation the spring came back into her step.

Sarutobi sighed. One down, eight to go.

...

"My daughter will come home with me of course," was the first sound to ring out in the chamber following the pronouncement. The Hokage turned to see a young man with light brown hair and glasses glaring at him. A civilian man… the Hokage tried to remember his name. He remembered his wife, the motherly pink-haired woman who had volunteered when her daughter had been needed for the ritual of sealing, the only civilian to have done so. He remembered seeing the man crying behind her as she had stepped forward so bravely and given her life.

His daughter has his eyes, Saratobi thought as he met the man's gaze. That beautiful green color is going to break a lot of hearts at some point.

The man, Haruno Kenshin the Hokage suddenly remembered, quailed in uncertainty under the impassive gaze of his leader. His voice broke as he spoke again.

"That is… if it is… if she is… safe…"

"Of course each child will be returned to their respective families," the Hokage replied mildly. "She is no danger to you." He smiled as Kenshin suddenly grabbed his daughter off of her pillow. It was heartening to see that he bore the child herself no ill will for his wife's death. Other families followed suit, but some held back, most notably the black haired and black eyed man and woman, who had not moved from their spot or looked at their son for the whole time.

Saratobi closed his eyes sadly. "They are but gates," he explained, "only parts of the prison that holds the fox back. They are in no way demons themselves." But even as he said it he knew just how hopeless this argument would be in the face of fear.

...

All the hope that had awoken in the Hokage's heart at the sight of a little girls' smile was almost immediately dashed as she went to meet the few of her peers that had already arrived. Taking cues from their parents, they drew back from her as she tried to approach them. Once again the bounce in her step faded and soon she was retreating to the shadow of a nearby tree from which hung a swing. Sadly she sat in it, gazing longingly back at the others who were already making friends.

The Hokage's attention did not linger on her long, however, as another of the nine was now approaching with his father. This one was a small boy with glasses and spiky brown hair. His large coat covered his face and as whispers began again he glared coolly and almost haughtily at those around him.

"Aburame Shino," the boy said coldly as the registration shinobi asked the name of the child.

The only indication that this meant anything to the shinobi this time was a quick look back at the Hokage, who only looked back mildly.

"How are you Aburame-sama?" Sarutobi asked as the registration shinobi asked all the pertinent questions. The Hokage couldn't help but notice the cool way the boy answered, as if speaking to someone so much less intelligent than himself that he could barely be bothered.

Aburame Shibi shrugged. "I am in perfect physical health, Hokage-sama if that is the direction of your inquiry." It was not hard to tell where Shino had gotten his speaking habits from.

"And your son?"

"In perfect physical health as well."

There was not much more to say to that. Shino was lead towards the other children and left to his own devices. He, unlike Sakura, did not even bother to try to approach the growing group. He sat against the fence and watched the bees as they flew by.

Sarutobi sighed. That boy had the double stigma of not only being one of the seals, but a member of the Aburame bug users. It was going to be very tough on him.

...

"Be that as it may," Aburame Shibi said as the Hokage finished his sentence, "a great majority of the population is not likely to take such an enlightened viewpoint." The occupants of the room turned to stare at the reserved leader of the Abruame clan. "I assume, Hokage-sama, that your previous question was an attempt to address this inconvenience? If not, I am forced to bring attention to it and inquire as to what measures are to be taken in light of it."

"Among other things," Sarutobi said.

"You are aware that my clan is constantly given negative propaganda for the simple reason that our combat techniques are based upon using insects, beings that are considered disgusting and frightening by the general population."

"In other words, we think you guys are gross and creepy," a young Inazuka muttered from the back. His clan leader attempted to hush him as Shibi turned his gaze towards them.

"That is the common language used," he said. "And my point is thus: if we, a respected and highly ranked clan among this village are already viewed with fright, what will happen to these children, some of whom are not members of any clan and thus have no prestige to protect them?"

...

Prestige didn't help either, Saratobi thought as he remembered that long ago conversation. Here in front of him was Hyuuga Hinata, and if he had thought Sakura shy she had nothing on this girl.

She didn't look up, ever. She came walked with her head held low, following her father like a contrite puppy. She looked up only occasionally, but her head went back down almost immediately upon making eye contact with all the glares surrounding her. She seemed almost in tears as she stood in front of the registration table. A member of one of the most prestigious clans in the village and she was so broken.

She was such a contrast to the boy who was with them. Hyuuga Neji held his head high and arrogant, surveying those around him like a king. He left them at the gate, going off to join his peers, where he was gathered around like a celebrity. He nodded to them coolly and answered calmly as they asked him about life. The Hokage knew when the subject of Hinata came up, for he suddenly shot her a look of smug superiority and began to talk to them more animatedly. Slowly the entire group turned their eyes upon her and the look in their eyes was not pleasant.

Saratobi closed his eyes sadly. Neji was smart and popular. He held a lot of sway with his peer group and it seemed that Hinata had been designated a target.

Hyuuge Hiashi gave his Hokage a short nod as he led his daughter up to the registration table. He answered all questions about her quickly and then led her just as quickly to where her peer group was standing. He didn't even bother to say goodbye or good luck as he departed. Hinata was left standing alone on the grass, her head hanging and tears in her eyes.

...

"I do not think that there is a guarantee even for the prestigious clans," Hyuuga Hiashi suddenly spoke up. His voice was sad, and also thoughtful. "We are dependent upon the support of our members as well as that of the villagers," he continued. "We may be able to sway opinion in favor of the children, but if not…" He trailed off. "Hokage-sama, I believe that I must remove my daughter as my designated heir."

"What?" A voice cried in outrage. Hiashi's wife suddenly stepped forward. "How can you…?"

"It is for her own protection," Hiashi interrupted. "As we have already established, popular opinion of the children is not going to be favorable."

"That is not certain yet," the Hokage said softly.

Hiashi ignored him. "Think of the uprising it would cause if one of them was the heir of a prestigious family? The clan would either remove me as head or find a way to assassinate her. In the former situation I would no longer be able to give her the protection she may need, in the latter…"

"And who would be heir?" The clan leaders wife asked.

"Neji," Hiashi said calmly, gesturing to the one year old boy who was asleep on his shoulder. "He has yet to receive the seal of the branch house, and with both of his parents dead, I am his legal guardian. His bloodline is sufficient, thus if I adopt him into the main house there should be no objections." He looked down sadly. "I made a promise," he said quietly.

"And Hinata will receive the branch house seal then?" Her voice was livid.

"No," Hiashi said calmly. "We do not know how it would affect the seal already on her. We cannot take that risk."

The Hokage had to admire this brilliant political stroke, even as it saddened him. Hinata would be safe, protected by her house and family and Neji would be given the life his father had wanted for him. Still, he had been hoping to use the fact that at least one of the children was a clan heir as a part of the propaganda campaign for the children, citing the fact that a great house trusted one of them enough to one day be led by her. But Hiashi was right. There was no guarantee that would work and this way Hinata was safer.

But faith was going to be shaken even more by this.

...

It was no surprise to the Hokage that the children of the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans all arrived together with their mothers. The fathers had been close and had both died at the same time in the same way. It was only natural that the two women had bonded together over their mutual loss. It saddened him that the widow of Nara Shikaku had not bonded with them as well, but she was a kunoichi while these two were still civilians. She may not have liked the death of her husband, but she had understood it better.

It was obvious that these two already knew each other very well. The blond girl walked next to the slightly chubby boy, who was munching on a bag of chips, chatting nonstop with him and bossing him around whenever his attention began to wander. At first the Hokage was surprised at the complete lack of resentment the boy seemed to hold towards the bossy girl, but it soon became apparent that she only really demanded his attention whenever someone was so vehement about their dislike of the children that it attracted attention.

She's distracting him, Sarutobi realized, and at the same time ensuring that she gets attention herself. He was very glad to see that at least two of the children already had a system that worked for getting them beyond the dislike of their village. They were already a good team, he thought with pride and hope.

But at the same time they were a problem. Already best friends against the world, they had no need to reach out to the other obvious outcasts around them. They ignored the trembling Hinata as they passed her on the way to their peer group and while they sat near Shino against the fence, they pretty much ignored him to. When Sakura timidly began to approach them, the blond girl (Yamanaka Ino, the Hokage remembered) shot her such a glare that she backed off again. The Akimichi boy (Choji) didn't even notice this, so engrossed was he with his food and best friend.

Sakura turned to look at Shino pleadingly, but he simply ignored her in favor of the butterfly that had lit on his hand. To downcast to be hurt again, she retreated to her swing, not even noticing the girl who trembled in the grass near her.

Ino talked with Choji, oblivious to the friendship that could have been.

...

"My daughter stays with me!" Yamanaka Ayame was yelling as she held the infant Ino tightly to her chest. Beside her, Akimichi Natsuke was glaring similarly at her dead husband's clan.

Saratobi sighed. Following the disinheritance of Hinata, the other clans had been discussing the best way to keep the children safe. The leader of the Yamanaka had stupidly suggested that Ino be raised as an orphan under an assumed name so as to keep her identity a secret. Her mother was having none of it.

"She will not be disowned from her heritage," she continued to yell. "You owe her and her father that much."

The Yamanaka head winced, but nodded. Sarutobi smiled slightly. At least the Yamanaka girl, the Akimichi boy, and the Nara boy would be allowed to be raised by their mothers. The three clans were so tightly allied that what one decided, the others followed. The Hokage decided that it was time to cut in.

"Your clan need not resort to drastic measures as the Hyuugas did," he said. "Ino is no heir, and your clan is not as big or as politically influential. I believe that simply acknowledging her as a part of the clan should be sufficient deterrent against any action."

The three clan leaders looked at each other uncertainly.

...

It seemed almost fated that the Nara boy should follow so closely after his clan allies. As Sakura was attempting her timid approach of Ino and Choji, Nara Yoshino strode into the yard proudly. Behind her, a boy walked with an air of bored sulking. He didn't look at anyone as he slid past them, acting for all the world like the people who were glaring at him and whispering didn't exist.

Yoshino pushed her son forward as they reached the registration table. "Nara Shikamaru," she said imperiously before the shinobi in charge even had a chance to ask.

Shikamaru sighed and looked anywhere but right in front of him. The Hokage heard him mutter "troublesome," as his mother gave all the pertinent information about him, but Sarutobi caught the way the boy was secretly scouting out the yard, cataloging who was paying attention to him and who wasn't. He seemed to know Ino and Choji. A small frown crossed his face as he noticed them. He gazed calculatingly at Hinata, Sakura, and Shino, but didn't seem to find them interesting enough for his tastes. In the end, he seemed to decide that there was nothing worth his time among his peers who were currently present.

Yoshino led him up to Ino and Choji and left him there. He gave them a nod as they looked up at them, which they returned politely, but as soon as his mother was gone they went back to ignoring him. He didn't seem to care that much. He made his way over to the tree that Sakura was under, lay down at its base, and closed his eyes as if he was going to sleep.

Heartened by the fact that this person had ventured into her territory, Sakura got up from her swing again. With a nervous winning smile, she made her way over to the dark haired boy. He didn't even open his eyes as she approached.

"Hi," she said.

He opened one eye and raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want to be friends?" she asked, encouraged by the lack of a glare.

He opened his other eye and cocked his head a bit, examining her.

"Do I have to move?" He asked.

"No…" she answered uncertainly. "I guess not."

"Sure," he said. "Whatever." He closed his eyes again.

A broad smile spread across Sakura's face. Not deterred by her new friends seeming lack of interest, she sat down next to him. "What's your name?" she asked excitedly.

"Nara Shikamaru."

"Nice to meet you Shikamaru-Kun. I'm Haruno Sakura," she held out her hand, but since his eyes were still closed, he didn't notice. Still undeterred, she reached over and picked up his hand herself so she could shake it. This prompted him to open his eyes again.

"Are you always so energetic?" He asked. She looked at him in confusion, and he sighed. "Nice to meet you Sakura. Can I have my hand back now?" She released it and he tucked it back into its proper place behind his head. "Troublesome," he muttered as he closed his eyes again.

A little hurt, Sakura retreated back to her swing. "You don't have to be so mean about it," she muttered as she left. Shikamaru opened one eye again and seemed to be considering going after her, but the comfortable grass and the shade worked its magic on him to the point where he decided that it wasn't worth the effort. He closed his eyes and forgot about her.

...

"Swear that if one of the three gets hurt, all three clans will come down on the perpetrator," Nara Yoshino suggested in the silence.

The head of the Nara clan nodded at the first sensible suggestion for the protection of the children that had come up. He turned to his peers, who looked uncertain, but another glare from Yoshino soon had them nodding as well.

Nara's always seem to marry strong women, Sarutobi thought as he watched the exchange. It's a good thing too, else they'd never get anything done.

...

The Hokage was once again both happy and sad when he saw the Inuzuka boy. Happy because he obviously wasn't lonely if the way he doted on that dog was any indication, but sad in the fact that he also already had a best friend and wasn't likely to open up to others the way things were going. The Hokage almost had to sigh. Was there no way that these nine children would band together as he wished?

As the Inuzuka boy retreated to his corner, a man approached leading a boy with black hair and equally black eyes. The whispers grew even louder as he approached. This child had caused some of the most controversy five years ago, and the reason why was apparent as soon as his name was given.

"Nanashi Sasuke."

...

Only one clan had yet to put in their two cents about how they would protect their child. Two children were still on the table untouched. One was an orphan, but the other…

"Uchiha Fugaku," Sarutobi said, "Are you going to claim your son?"

"What does Itachi have to do with this?" the leader of the Uchiha clan asked coldly. Behind him, the boy looked up at his father in shock. The rest of the room fell silent.

"Your son Sasuke," the Hokage said, but he had known already that it was a losing battle. He had known from the moment that Mikoto had dropped dead that Fugaku would never forgive Sasuke.

"I have only one son," Fugaku answered. "All I see on that table are two orphans with, one with no name. Excuse me, but I have no more reason to be here. Come Itachi." He swept out. Itachi lingered for a moment, looking sadly at his brother, but he could not disobey his father and thus he too left.

...

Nanashi… no name… It was the curse that would haunt Sasuke for the rest of his life. It wasn't as if he didn't know what had happened. The resemblance between him and his brother, who was already famous for his genius, was striking. Moreover, his guardian had taken a certain glee in tormenting him with it as soon as he was old enough to understand.

You weren't good enough for your clan.

Well Sasuke had a mission. He was going to be recognized by his clan. He was going to be so great a ninja that they would welcome him back and make him the head of it. He was going to earn back his name.

His guardian had laughed as he said that.

Well, he wasn't going to have to deal with her laughter for long. He was seven, old enough to be trained as a ninja, thus old enough to be living on his own. She wasn't going to be able to get him out of her house fast enough. There was an apartment set up for him already, he had asked, and he was moving there as soon as this day was done. He would have to share it with another "orphan" but that didn't matter.

He glared at the people around him as they muttered at his name. He didn't care what they said. He would prove them wrong. He would have his revenge. He didn't even notice the pink haired girl who was trying to catch his eye. He stalked by everyone to go lean against the fence, alone.

...

Two babies were still lying on their pillows as the meeting finally broke up. A course of action had been set. Now all that was needed were these two.

He wished he could foster them both out together, but he knew that nobody was going to be willing to take care of one jinkuriki, much less two, and up until they were seven, they would need an adult to take care of them, but after that he could do something for them at least. A small apartment would be set up for both of them, and he would do his best to watch over them as they grew up.

...

Eight down…

It was fitting, Sarutobi supposed, that the last child to arrive was this one. In this child, all his hopes rested. The other eight were quiet and withdrawn but him…

A sudden flash of orange sped up to the registration table. Behind it, an exasperated voice could be heard yelling for it to slow down. It resolved itself into a blond boy with startlingly blue eyes in an overlarge orange jumpsuit. He grinned at the adults around him, pointedly ignoring the glares. With a mischivious glance, he suddenly leaped up onto the table and put his fist in the air.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage!" He yelled.

"NARUTO!" a breathless voice yelled. "Get down from that table." A frazzled woman ran up to glare at the unrepentant blond. "You worthless piece of shit!" She muttered. "If I never see you again it will be too soon. Hokage… ha!"

Sarutobi had to hide a grin at the blond boys antics as he danced around the woman trying to grab him. Laughing and sticking his tongue out, Naruto bounced around, not letting the angry woman lay a finger on him. The eyes of the entire mass were upon the scene. Suddenly, the boy stopped and grinned.

"Got your attention, didn't I?" He called out to the masses.

Before they had a chance to react, the woman caught him. She slapped him twice, then dragged him up to the registration table.

"Uzumaki Naruto," she said breathlessly.

"So we gathered," one of the men near the table muttered. The woman turned to glare at him, but was interrupted by the registration shinobi asking her Narutos birthday.

Naruto seemed completely unfazed by any of this. His grin was still wide and he surveyed the crowd with a happy, yet somehow challenging gaze.

What are you going to do about me, it asked.

Naruto was the last to be registered, something that Sarutobi suspected was deliberate on his part. He had probably escaped from his guardian early on and had given her a runaround until he was certain that most of the students would be there. Then he had come here so that all of his peers would see the show.

But as a consequence, this meant he had no time to attempt to socialize with the others before classes started. This didn't seem to bother him, and he cheerfully tried to introduce himself to everybody as they were herded into the classroom. Sarutobi followed, amused, to give his first speech to the new shinobi candidates.


End file.
